The Scorn of Men
by Serpent In Red
Summary: For the very first time, Nephrite disliked Kunzite.


**Prompt**: #37. Anger  
**Betas**: None. You have been warned.**  
Disclaimer**: I don't own these characters, nor am I making any money from them. I merely borrow them from time to time.  
**Rating**: G  
**Notes**: Cross-posted on my LJ  
**Summary**: For the very first time, Nephrite disliked Kunzite.  
**Warning(s)**: I take information from both the manga and the anime.

* * *

**The Scorn of Men**

For the very first time, Nephrite disliked Kunzite.

Well, he didn't really like him all that much while they were under Beryl's spell, but that didn't count. They were brainwashed after all. Beyond that, Nephrite only had images about their previous lives, painted into his mind by the descriptions Mamoru and Usagi had given them. He'd accepted this without evidence or questions; it was as if he were drawn towards Mamoru by instinct, and he knew, without a doubt, that he would lay his life down to protect his Prince.

He got along fairly well with Usagi and her Inner Senshi. Although he could tell that they were still a bit wary about their loyalties—and he grudgingly agreed that they had good reasons to be—they had been rather nice towards the Shitennou.

In regards to the Outer Senshi, he would say that he liked Hotaru the best. She was quite a gentle and adorable girl, and Nephrite never would've guessed that she had the power to destroy an entire planet if Ami hadn't mentioned it. He'd made a point to never piss off the Senshi of Saturn if he could help it.

Setsuna was a nice woman, if not a bit too mysterious and vague for Nephrite's taste. Michiru would exchange small smiles with him whenever they saw one another, so he reckoned that he was on somewhat friendly terms with her, too, but Haruka …

That woman scared the shit out of him.

But that was also fine. Nephrite was under the impression that Haruka scared the shit out of Kunzite, too, though the silver-haired general wouldn't admit it. Jadeite and Zoisite, on the other hand, offered their opinions without the need of prompts; transformed or not, they did _**not**_ want to cross the Uranian Senshi. So, being scared of Haruka was okay for Nephrite.

However, currently, there was something that was _**not**_ okay, though Nephrite couldn't pinpoint the reason why. The only clue that signaled him that something was off was the fact that he wouldn't mind it very much if the sword in Kunzite's hand suddenly dropped and maimed his leader.

"Sugoi!" Makoto breathed out as Kunzite neatly swiped the sword out of Jadeite's hand.

The scowl on Nephrite's face deepened, and it was mirrored on Jadeite's face when Rei clapped on the sidelines, her face slightly flushed.

"Kunzite-san," Minako sang out as she waltzed over to him with a towel in hand.

Kunzite received the proffered towel with a smile of gratitude. The two leaders eyes met, and their smiles minutely deepened.

"Did you need the practice room?" he asked Venus, his voice more tender than what Nephrite was accustomed to.

The pretty blonde shook her head, a beam on her face.

"Mamoru-san mentioned that the four of you were practicing today, so we were wondering if you will allow us to watch on the side," she said, glancing up at him pleadingly and grasping her hands in front of her as if in a prayer.

A barely noticeable smile tugged at the corners of Kunzite's lips. "Of course."

Usagi clapped her hands together in glee. "I can't wait! Mamo-chan told me that your skills in hand-to-hand combat is amazing."

"Mamoru-sama is exaggerating, Usagi-sama. Compared to Ura—Haruka-san, I can hardly claim to be talented," Kunzite answered demurely.

"Aww, you're just being modest," Usagi protested.

"Don't tell anyone I told you," Makoto said conspiratorially, leaning forwards toward Kunzite, "but Haruka-san did mention that you are pretty good."

Suddenly, Nephrite felt the urge to stand up and challenge Kunzite, just to prove that there wasn't just one man in the room who could do hand-to-hand combat well.

"If you keep clutching your fist so tightly, I'm afraid that you might need some help from Mamoru-sama to fix that hand of yours," Zoisite said to Nephrite, his voice low enough so that only the two of them could hear. The smirk on his face had just enough smugness in it to annoy people.

And Nephrite was pretty damned intent on wiping it off.

"Being spiteful because your boyfriend is falling head over heels over the Senshi of Venus?" he sneered.

The smirk immediately fell from Zoisite's face, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "That is none of your business."

"Pardon me, was Minako-san the reason why Kunzite dumped you?" Nephrite added viciously.

"Shut up, Nephrite, and damn you all the way to the depths of the Dark Kingdom. Keep your nose out of Kunzite-sama and my business," Zoisite hissed as he looked at Nephrite through narrowed eyes. He opened his mouth, no doubt about to continue his tirade, when they heard a soft, gentle voice speak up.

"Kunzite-san, would you mind letting me run some tests on you while you continue sparring with Jadeite-kun?" Ami asked.

Zoisite's head immediately snapped towards Kunzite and Ami's general direction.

A silvery-white eyebrow rose in surprise, but Kunzite nodded. "What do I need to do?"

"Hm … I'll need to place these patches on you. All they do is transmit signals directly into my computer," Ami replied, showing him the small white patches in her hand.

"Where do I need to put them?" Kunzite asked.

"I'll place three of them over your heart, three of them—oh!" Ami suddenly stopped in her words, and a furious blush blossomed on her cheeks as her eyes widened, for Kunzite had already unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off.

The other four Senshi were gifting him with appreciative glances. A soft giggle escaped Minako's lips, and Rei promptly elbowed her in the ribs, though the Martian Senshi seemed to be having a hard time in fighting back a grin.

Ami moved a bit closer to Kunzite, the redness not completely gone from her face yet, and her lithe fingers started applying the patches on to different areas of his body. Minako and Makoto exchanged suggestive glances, and suddenly, they giggled, causing the blush to flare back to life on Ami's cheeks.

"It seems like you'll be the one who'll be needing Mamoru-sama's help if you keep clutching your fists like that," Nephrite drawled to Zoisite.

For the first time, Zoisite didn't answer him. The strawberry blonde was staring so intently at Ami and Kunzite that Nephrite would've been rather worried for Ami's health if he hadn't been mentally throttling his leader.

"There," Ami announced. She glanced upwards towards Kunzite and quickly lowered her eyes to look at her shoes again as she muttered, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Kunzite answered.

The match went by in a blur with the girls cheering rather enthusiastically for Kunzite. A couple of encouragements were given to Jadeite, too, but it seemed like they were doing it more out of pity than anything else.

_Damned practice session._

And Nephrite was pretty sure that he wasn't the only person with that thought in mind.

~-0-~

On any other occasions, Nephrite would've been worried about being late, especially when it was for a practice session. After all, lectures from Kunzite were never fun to begin with, not to mention the punishments that might follow. However, Nephrite really didn't want to go today. He'd thought that his ire towards Kunzite would've gone away after a night's sleep, but unfortunately, it didn't.

Somehow, he still managed to get ready and reach the practice room.

"Good morning," Zoisite chirped, perched on top of one of the chairs lined up against the wall.

He appeared so pleased that momentarily, Nephrite wondered if something had happened to Ami.

"Good morning," he answered carefully.

He looked around and nodded in greetings to Jadeite, who was sitting on the far end away from Zoisite.

"What's up with him?" Nephrite asked in a low voice when he reached Jadeite's side.

"Who knows?" Jadeite answered. "Perhaps he's made up with Kunzite."

"Speaking of Kunzite, where is he? He's usually the earliest one here," Nephrite said.

"No idea," Jadeite said with a shrug. He sulkily added, "Maybe he's out with the Senshi, giving them some pointers on how to spar correctly."

The idea of Kunzite sparring with the Senshi placed a scowl on Nephrite's face, and inexplicably, the Senshi in his mind would always take on luscious auburn hair and pretty green eyes.

At the other side of the practice room, Zoisite was still happily humming to himself and drinking his coffee.

"Zoisite, did Kunzite tell you if he's coming in today?" Nephrite asked.

"No idea," was the answer, in a sing-song voice.

"Ugh, he's too happy," Jadeite muttered, clutching his head with one hand.

Suddenly, the tune of Moonlight Densetsu filled the room, and both Nephrite and Jadeite snapped their heads up. Zoisite raised an eyebrow in reply to their stares and languorously pulled out his cell phone. With a simple flick of his finger, the tune stopped and Zoisite placed the phone to his ear.

"Moshi moshi, Mamoru-sama," Zoisite greeted.

A short conversation followed afterwards, and when Zoisite looked up, both Nephrite and Jadeite were looking at him.

"Well?" Nephrite asked, never one to hold his tongue back.

An almost serene smile appeared on Zoisite's face. "Kunzite wouldn't be coming in today."

"Why?" Jadeite asked.

"Because," Zoisite answered, leaning back in the chair he was sitting in, "Kunzite is in the hospital right now."

"Why?" Nephrite pressed on, annoyance burning a hole into his non-existent patience.

"He had diarrhea since last night," Zoisite intoned lightly.

Silence filled the room for a second, and for some reason, Nephrite couldn't believe that Kunzite's dilemma was by accident. His eyes locked with Zoisite's for a second, memories from yesterday replaying themselves in his mind. Suddenly, a ridiculous thought formed in his head.

"Do you have something to do with this?" Nephrite asked, unable to resist his curiosity's demands to be quenched.

"Now, now, Nephrite, why would I do something like that to Kunzite?" Zoisite asked far too sweetly.

"Because you aren't one to hold back on using dirty methods against ex-lovers," Nephrite snapped.

Zoisite made a face. "How would you know? It isn't as if I would ever fall in love with a brute like you. Besides, it's not like I have any reasons to pull pranks on Kunzite."

"Because you like—"

Before Nephrite could finish his sentence, the door slammed open and the Senshi entered the practice room.

Usagi blinked when she saw them, apparently surprised that Kunzite was nowhere to be seen. "No practice today?"

"Kunzite's in the hospital," Nephrite answered, shooting Zoisite another suspicious glance.

"What?" the girls exclaimed.

Jadeite nodded. "Zoisite just received a phone call from—"

He never finished his sentence, since Usagi's voice filled the room as she spoke into her cell phone.

"Mamo-chan! Kunzite's in this hospital! … Oh, you already knew? … What happened to him? … Oh … er … Is he okay? … Okay … Okay … I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"What happened?" Makoto asked once Usagi hung up the phone.

"I don't know all the details, but Kunzite-san seems to be fine now. The doctors are suspecting that he accidentally put too much la—" Usagi paused, a confused frown on her face. "Lax tips?"

"Laxatives," Ami corrected for her.

A sheepish smile appeared on Usagi's face. "Yeah, that thing. What does it do anyway, Ami-chan?"

"It makes you go to the toilet," Ami answered.

"Kunzite-san uses laxatives?" Rei asked curiously.

"I told him that being too uptight will cause him problems one day," Minako said with a firm nod.

"Guys, this isn't the right time for that," Ami chided, glancing at the company they were in.

They fell silent and stared at the three currently-healthy Shitennou.

"So … er … no practice today," Usagi said, scratching the back of her head with one hand.

"Well," Zoisite said slowly, a smile on his face and gazing at Ami in particular, "we wouldn't mind filling in for Kunzite today if you want."

Makoto's eyes brightened, obviously interested, and for once, Nephrite had to admit, not all of Zoisite's plans were crap.

~-0-~


End file.
